Glenn Sterle (WA, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

Labor welcomes the minister's statement and the announcement of a further review into the regulation of aviation safety. It is a well-known fact that Australia has an aviation safety record that is the envy of the world, and we want to keep it that way. This is a result of the efforts of governments of all persuasions, which have never made aviation safety a political issue, and this is to be commended. I can say as chair of the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee for the last six years, and now as chair of the references committee, that when we do address aviation safety it is bipartisan, and done very closely in association with the Greens and the minor parties as well. I acknowledge that the new government did not make this matter a political football in opposition, and we do not intend to make it one either. It is important that this issue is one that continues to enjoy bipartisan support from all of us in this building. While the Labor government took the view that when it came to aviation safety we could never, ever be too cautious, this is not self-centred. As much of our time as senators is spent on aeroplanes, we actually do understand as much as anyone just how important aviation safety is to all Australians.

While I have the opportunity, I would like to commend the previous minister, Anthony Albanese, on his achievements while in government. The former minister is responsible for significant reform we have seen in the aviation sector, particularly over the last six years under his leadership, including as the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. No less than $1 billion is being invested in upgrades for air services. The former government opened new control towers in Adelaide and in regional centres such as the Sunshine Coast and Broome, where I had the privilege of joining the then minister for the opening of that wonderful piece of infrastructure in the Kimberley. The air traffic control process has also been streamlined to achieve greater cooperation between defence systems and the civil aviation sector. Minister Albanese was responsible for implementing the first comprehensive plan for aviation that encompassed all aspects of the aviation industry, including safety, workplace planning, regulatory issues and international agreements.

The former government also improved the governance of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau by having commissioners and by extending the ATSB's responsibilities to include rail and shipping so that it could provide a comprehensive approach to transport safety issues in Australia. Then Minister Albanese also set up a board of governance for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which was chaired by Dr Allan Hawke. I acknowledge that this particular initiative received the support of the parliament. This plan, which went through a formal green paper and white paper process, has set guidelines for the aviation industry for decades to come. All the recommendations from this process were put in place by the former government.

Labor hopes that this review will continue the reforms that we implemented while in government. Labor is proud of its record on aviation safety while in government. We got the balance right between costs to the industry and the vital importance of safety and appropriate regulations. We welcome the news that Mr David Forsyth will chair the government's review. Mr Forsyth was appointed Chair of Airservices Australia by the former government in 2008 and performed that role admirably until last year. Under his leadership, Airservices Australia invested deeply in training and critical safety infrastructure. I believe he will bring a great depth of experience to the government's review. I commend his appointment.

I am also pleased to see that the government has appointed overseas experts to this review. This is entirely appropriate given the international nature of our aviation industry and it will be useful to have input from across the sector. I know Mr Albanese welcomed the news that Mr Forsyth will be joined in this new review by Mr Don Spruston from Canada and Mr Roger Whitefield from the UK. Both men are more than qualified to undertake their roles in this review. I also note that the ATSB recently invited the Canadian transport safety bureau to undertake an independent review of the ATSB's investigation methodologies and processes. I look forward to seeing the results of the ATSB review when it is completed next year and I hope that this kind of international cooperation will continue in future.

Australia's aviation industry has faced many challenges in recent years. In September there were more than five million passengers on domestic flights; Sydney's domestic airport alone saw more than two million passengers travel through its terminals. In the international sector, 54 international airlines operated services to and from Australia during the month of September. International scheduled passenger traffic in September 2013 was 2.681 million, compared to 2.533 million in September 2012. That is an increase of no less than 5.8 per cent.

In relation to that great state on the other side of the country, we have seen an unprecedented increase in passenger travel through our domestic and international terminals in Perth. In September of this year the domestic terminal saw more than 740,000 inbound and outbound passengers—an increase of more than 20 per cent over the same period in 2009. The international terminal has seen an even greater increase, of more than 25 per cent, over that period, as we saw more than 335,000 inbound and outbound passengers. These figures show just how vital the aviation sector is to all aspects of the Australian economy. It also highlights the importance of ensuring we have a safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector.

Other challenges facing the industry include the proliferation of low-cost carriers, the huge growth of fly-in fly-out airline and helicopter services and the emergence of unmanned aerial systems. These are just some of the big challenges facing aviation safety; others include new aircraft types and the wider use of satellite based technologies. There is always a balance to be struck between safety regulation and cost. As Shadow Minister Albanese recently said, this balancing is best done by experts, not by politicians. Hear, hear! I could not agree more. The aviation sector injects no less than some $7 billion into the Australian economy each year. It is one of our vital industries. Australia has an enviable record of aviation safety, as I said earlier, but it is only through the diligent efforts of the industry and the regulators that this will continue. I firmly believe that we must keep our personnel appropriately trained and skilled and be prepared to provide proper resourcing well into the future.

As I have said before, I welcome the minister's acknowledgement today that Australia's safety performance is among the best in the world, that it is built on a strong regulatory system and that we should do everything needed to maintain that. The opposition will follow the review and carefully consider its recommendations when they come forth in May next year. We hope that the minister will keep us updated on the progress of the review during the coming months.